Word: als
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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When the military overthrew the 16-year regime of President Gaafar Nimeiri in a bloodless coup last year, Lieut. General Abdul Rahman Suwar al Dahab, the Defense Minister who spearheaded the rebellion, moved into the colonial-style Presidential Palace on the banks of the Blue Nile in Khartoum. Grateful citizens slaughtered a cow in a traditional housewarming gesture to welcome the new leader, but Suwar al Dahab told them his stay would be short. Within a year, he promised, he would hold free elections and turn power over to a civilian government. Last week, Suwar al Dahab showed that...
...autocratic, one-party rule, Sudan seemed to revel in its new chance at democracy. Candidates representing some 30 different parties, ranging from Muslim fundamentalists to Communists, competed for assembly seats. Major cities like Khartoum and Omdurman were swathed in campaign posters and political banners. "The Sudanese nation," said Suwar al Dahab, "has decided to go ahead with democracy...
...negotiations with Israel, Nimeiri was staunchly pro- Western and firmly allied with Egypt. The U.S. has attempted to ensure Khartoum's loyalty by granting about $200 million in economic aid and $19 million in military assistance to Sudan, more than to any other African nation except Egypt. While Suwar al Dahab has been friendly with the U.S., he has re- established ties to Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi, who also supplies the government with military aid. "The camel has got his nose under the tent," observes one Western diplomat. "If they are not careful, the Sudanese will become dominated by Libya...
...elections, the Umma Party and the Democratic Unionist Party, share traditional religious roots. Neither, however, is as militant as the National Islamic Front, which pushed Nimeiri to adopt the strict Islamic law that mandated punishments like amputating the hands of thieves. The party and its charismatic leader, Hassan al Turabi, 53, still have a large constituency among the poor and the young. But analysts predict that the Umma Party, lead by former Prime Minister Sadiq al Mahdi, 50, the great-grandson of the revered leader whose forces defeated British General Charles Gordon at Khartoum in 1885, will emerge...
...billion foreign debt piled up by Nimeiri will prove equally difficult. In February the International Monetary Fund, citing the government's inability to repay more than $200 million in overdue loans, took the unusual step of declaring Sudan ineligible for additional assistance. The economic pinch forced Suwar al Dahab's 15-member ruling Transitional Military Council to increase taxes, raise prices on some basic foods and gasoline by as much as 50%, and devalue the Sudanese pound, currently at four pounds to the dollar...